Munapest 2019 will feature six traditional Session based Chambers: three UN bodies, one security cooperation, a traditional international organisation, and an economic policy and advisory council. Besides these, there will be a joint session of two collective defense treaties and two additional, informal system-supporting corps.

Individual chamber topics are not only similar in some regards but overlap in others, approaching the main narrative of the conference from different angles. In the system of Interconnectivity, a single chamber cannot be successful on its own – addressing global challenges requires cooperation between a variety of actors. The aim of Munapest 2019 is to present participants with a more dynamic, more challenging, and ultimately more engaging MUN experience.

The rise of a multipolar world order - regional powers growing global

“There’s no question that the post-Soviet world order is undergoing a seismic shift.” – as a forecast of the Global Security Review says. The establishment of a multipolar world order where power is once again evenly distributed may seem like a far-fetched idea for some, however, the tendency of small steps towards states gradually questioning the legitimacy of a system based on the supremacy of the United States of America is indisputable. The question we seek to answer is: which fields furnish an opportunity for rising powers to step into the spotlight? Therefore, we have chosen bodies of the United Nations and International Organisations with relevant topics that may provide a heated debate to participants from all over the world to get to know these areas and answer our question.

You can find the countries represented in each Chamber in our Country Matrix.

United Nations Security Council

Brief topic: The rapid rise of asymmetric and hybrid warfare poses a great threat not only on national but on supranational level as well. For this very reason the United Nations Security Council will work on to tackle any non-state or allegedly state-sponsored attacks.

UNEP

United Nations Environment Assembly and Governing Council

Brief topic: The US announcement of leaving the Paris Agreement shows a great concern about the future environmental shape of Earth. The task of this committee will be to manage the possible consequences of climate change and the situation of the northern trading route.

UNOOSA

United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Brief topic: As President Donald Trump announced the US Space Force program a seemingly settled situation resurfaces: Is space a “common heritage of man” or does it have the potential to launch a new path of competition? This very chamber’s tasks are to answer this question and to put boundaries to preserve the outer space.

OSCE

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Brief topic: This very committee will have a wide variety of topics to deal with from managing border control and combating human and arms trafficking to developing education with a focus on minorities migration, tolerance and non-discrimination. Furthermore, the possible consequences of climate change the safety preservation of the northern trading route shall be on the agenda as well.

Brief topic: As NATO has been constantly criticized for not disbanding after the Cold War, it is is controversial to see other military organisations being established. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization shows characteristics mainly that of a normal international organisation, however its potential, its vision and some of its recent trends pointing towards closer cooperation opposing western dominance gives plenty of reason for western powers to keep track of its activity. These states might be able to cooperate against 21st Century challenges or even be those challenges to one another. Either way, they have much to talk about.

COE

Council of Europe

Brief topic: The phenomena of ’illiberal democracies’ questions that only liberal democracies can thrive and succeed. The Council of Europe’s main focus shall be to find a way to promote democracy and the rule of law without interfering in a nation-state’s autonomy as well as to bring a healthy balance between economic success and individual freedom.

G20

G20 – Economic Policy and Advisory Council

Brief topic: As the main gathering of the 20 most powerful countries in the world, the G20 is carrying a huge weight on its shoulder to sustain a stable and healthy global economy and financial system. In 2019 various issues are on the table for the economic leaders:

Sub-topics:

Several development banks emerged with different leadership, requirements and goals, challenging the already established system of the IMF and WTO. A polarization fueled by competition may be counterproductive and undermine the prosperity of the regional developments. One of the main topics of this summit will be to decide whether one global development bank is needed or should they work on a regional level with more specific source of financing but with similar agenda and measures.

The recently escalated trading tension poses a potential risk and instability in our current global economic system. The conflict between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China and other agreements questioned by the United States (NAFTA for example) affects various countries within and outside the G20. While there is a chance that any two parties might settle their issues, support from third parties could make the process easier and more effective in avoiding an all out trade-war which could hinder the prosperity and growth of the nations.

10 years after the global financial crisis, one of the longest growth period in the global economy has taken place. In the last 2-3 years several economists and economic institutes raised their voice about an upcoming fallout which could be nearly as devastating as the last one. For this very reason the G20 shall discuss how to prevent or to mitigate the damage of such an event, and it shall also consider making the possible steps such as multilateral agreements or establishing a framework for future policies.

Diplomatic Corps

Diplomatic Corps

Brief topic: As the CD is an irregular chamber with the purpose to connect the work of each member of the represented state’s Delegation and fill in on spots where representation might be lacking, delegates of the CD have to have a general understanding of all topics within the conference. They should help the Head Delegate in developing a general approach to the conference.

Press

Press Corps

Brief topic: The Press Corps will, by its very nature, not have a separate topic. In reality the task of Press Corps members will be to gain a general understanding of individual chambers and serve the purpose of the News Agency itself. In terms of debate, they might be engaged in a debates with their fellow Press Corps members but their main focus should be to extend information throughout the whole conference.

On Day 0, the Sightseeing Tour takes place, where the participants can not only get to know the gems of Budapest and their future familiar routes for the week, but also meet their chamber members before the sessions. With the help of the Event Coordination Team, all can get to the heart of Budapest in daylight and try out different Hungarian specialties, such as handcrafted lavender ice cream on their way to the next sight.
Professional opportunities are also provided in forms of workshops of various levels and topics for all chambers. Last but not least, the awaited meeting of the Organising Team and the participants can finally also take place in person.

One of the most gracefully elegant social of the week is the fancy, business Committee Dinner, where tasty Hungarian dishes, networking opportunities and professional connections are served in a historic and fancy ballroom. Each year, participants can enjoy this evening with their new acquaintances and their own home delegations, while taking amazing professional photos and planning where to go next. The Dinner is followed by a loose and fun social party with well-fed diplomats enjoying the nightlife of Budapest.

The Diplomats’ Soirée is held up on Gellért Hill, where the participants can get the perfect view of the city at sunset, including the Parliament, the Chain Bridge and the hill itself. This black tie event is a formal reception, requiring such dress code.
Participants have the opportunity for a higher level of networking, including ambassadors, directors of related institutions, delegates and their fellow chamber members as well, with a glass of champagne. After listening to speeches and openings, or having taken hundreds of sunset photos, the participants may move to the next station of their night, which is usually a fancier social party.

Considering the fact that people from many different countries will meet at the conference, we, the Organisers, would like to make sure that all of the participants have the possibility to introduce their culture to the others on the Multicultural Night. Let it be your secret talent of singing, dancing, a traditional folkdance, we are all open-heartedly waiting for you to show us that piece of your home, if you are eager to do so!

State interests do not always require the consensus of an entire Chamber but only the agreement of two or more States. Delegates will be able to achieve their aims, gain resources as well as support possible allies by signing bilateral or multilateral Treaties.
However, only a limited amount of resources will be at the disposal of Delegations – money will often be in short supply.. Furthermore, resources will not only be required for signing treaties but also for dealing with unexpected Crisis events, so Delegates must be mindful of their spending!

States represented in multiple Chambers will be considered Delegations, that have common aims and resources. Each Chamber will have a designated level of representation, so Participants could be Foreign Ministers or Ambassadors to the UN, just to name a few possibilities.

Being at the top of a delegation’s Hierarchy will come with many rights but also responsibilities. A Delegation’s top Representative (a Head Delegate) will be the only one authorised to approve Bilateral and multilateral Treaties in the name of their State.
A Diplomatic Corps (or CD delegate) is considered as the right hand of the Head Delegate and will often be invited to other Chambers to speak on behalf of their Delegation.
The Financial Committee Delegate, responsible for the budget of a Delegation, and the CD delegate, who supposed to represent the needs and expertise of all lower level members of the delegation are together the advisors of the Head Delegates. They will support them in making hard decisions regarding what the Delegation should focus on and where to allocate the Delegation’s limited resources.

Lower level delegates are supposed to feed the CD member with information that might come handy in other Chambers or during the decision-making procedure of the Head Delegate and its advisors.

As the financial backbone of the conference, Financial Committee members will have the task of preserving the limited resources of their individual States’ to the most crucial projects their Delegations might want to achieve. With also having a main topic to discuss and treaties to support or talk others out from, these delegates will have a major impact on the course of the conference. Before a Head Delegate may make any decision regarding resources, it would be highly encouraged to ask the opinion of the respective Financial Committee Member supposed to support his or her decision-making.

Being the eyes and ears of the conference, Press Members are tasked with not letting any relevant happening go undetected. Press Members are, during the simulation, employees of a News Agency which have been carefully selected according to the certain topic and relevant states at hand. There, they will have to work to cover the events of the Conference from their Agency’s point of view, providing a certain degree of bias. Depending on the Agency, Press Members may also have to support some States’ interests through their reporting.
For the rest of the Conference, the Press Corps will be the primary source of up-to-date information from all the other Chambers. It will be essential to follow news published as in each article, as one might expect, the devil is in the details.
By introducing the Press Conference, Press Corps Members will have a chance to be in the spotlight and steal the show by provoking and testing representatives of their preparedness, ideas and standpoints.

For us to be able to introduce a main narrative connecting each chamber and to engage the highest number of states, changes and developments to real-life situations are sometimes inevitable. Without the concept of diverging reality, many chambers might not be able to contribute to the most exciting topics or some states might feel neglected to a level of boredom. Fear not! Our team of young experts in the field of international law are eager to connect the dots for these occasions and artificially create situations which in real life might not occur but are valid and believable scenarios. This way, real-life events, that would require attention from the international community but are ignored due to their low intensity, can be lifted into the spotlight for real examination. This leads to our participants getting to know about minor events in the world that have the potential to cause real harm to international peace and security. Chambers will have to discuss their own individual topics at hand but a crisis might just cause a twist for some that will dictate them to change their thinking, their sides and adapt to the new setting laid ahead of them.

With the topics and chambers being interconnected, it is up to a small proportion of participants to keep the delegates of their represented states focused on their own agendas while also serving the bigger picture and the main interests of their represented states. The Diplomatic Corps (or as the French acronym composes: CD (Corps Diplomatique) is an independent body that is supposed to coordinate the efforts of all members of their state’s delegation. This allows them to achieve a higher level of communication between states and also leads to a higher degree of interconnectedness. These delegates will serve as “grey eminences” throughout the conference gathering information from lower hierarchy delegates, helping the head delegate making decisions, and disseminating information, coordinating the efforts of the delegation as a whole.

International relations and challenges of the 21st Century cannot be understood if we do not take into consideration the magnitude of the interdependence of certain issues, topics or regions. That is why, during Munapest, we attempt to scrutinize our general topic and main narrative with the help of each and every chamber having a small slice that they contribute to this comprehensive approach. This is called interconnectivity. Each participant is committed to resolving one major issue by doing its part and keeping in mind that their actions may have unforeseeable consequences for others if they act irresponsibly. Further deepening the interconnectivity, we created various channels: the Press whose goal is to gather and distribute information throughout the whole conference, the economic system to implement a crucial segment of diplomacy and the Diplomatic Corps is introduced to Munapest in 2019 as well.